It stinks all the time—no matter how many times you wash it. Saddle pad will still smell so nasty. But at least, cleaning it will make your horse and yourself comfortable. Who would want to sit on a dirty pad, anyway?
Fortunately, cleaning the saddle pad doesn’t have to be expensive nor troublesome. By following the cleaning tips below, maintaining the cleanliness of your pad will never be a hard thing:
Table of Contents
Whack it and brush it
After every ride, put the saddle pad over a stall door of pipe fence. Now, give it some nice whacks using a flat piece of wood. This way, loose hair, dusts, and dirt will be knocked off. Be sure to whack both sides of the pad. After that, brush both sides of the saddle pad using a soft brush or sponge. This will remove more dirt debris on the thing.
Vacuum it
This thing can suck loose dirt, hair, and dusts off the pad. Make sure to use the vacuum’s hose attachment, though. Slowly vacuum the thing with that. Car wash’s vacuum cleaner will do a great job for your saddle, too.
Wash it
Do this if the saddle pad has built-up dirt that can’t be removed by either whacking or vacuuming. Most saddle pads are machine washable. However, be sure to check with your pad’s manufacturer. Only wash it if the manufacturer says it can be washed.
If it is washable, just be ready with lots or hair and dirt that might be trapped in the machine. It’s best to whack or vacuum the pad first before you put it in the machine.
Also, use only the recommended cleaning solution by the manufacturer. The horse’s shampoo can also be used for cleaning the saddle. Some cleaning solutions can be an irritant for the horse. So, using its shampoo for washing the pad is a safe bet.
Do not combine the saddle pad with other laundry when giving it a cycle. You don’t want your clothes to smell like sweaty horse.
If it’s not machine-washable, then wash it by hand and follow the same guidelines above. Only add brushing to your washing to-do list because soaking is not enough to remove the stubborn dirt.
Spray it
Some saddle pads can’t be washed with some soap. In that case, spraying it with your garden hose should do the trick. The more powerful the water pressure, the better. Spray the saddle starting from the middle going outward. This way, the dirt, hair, and other debris will be removed from the pad. Spraying it down will only help dirt, sweat salt, and hair to stick deeper into the pad.
More Reminders on Cleaning a Saddle Pad
Never use a clamp when hanging the saddle pad. This thing can get very heavy when wet. Using a clamp might only tear the pad. Better hang it on sturdier metal like a vehicle’s tail gate or sturdy fence.
Some saddle pads are okay with the clothes dryer. If your pad is, then just put it in the clothes dryer. Again, dry this alone and never combine other clothes in the dryer with it.
Your saddle pad is finally ready for another nice horseback riding. The horse will surely love to carry you around with that newly cleaned saddle pad.
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